Process of reproducing natural grain patterns



C. M. LQNG April 8, l1941. I

PROCESS OF REPRODUCING NATURAL GRAIN PATTERNS Filed June 5, 1937 INVENTOR Chaes M. Long 4 mmma uzmwzP omou ...uam ...o mumam mzm ME. m o nzaomw zmmmuwoo uzFzEn.

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. d, i941 UNITED sra'rss erreur OFFICE omnes M. Leng, permit, nnen- Application .nine e, rez-ri, serai its. 146,199

(ci. Aliicl lil Claims.

In order to transfer natural patterns such as wood grain to desired surfaces to be finished in imitation, it has been proposed to print directly from a selected natural wood plate. The results therefrom however are of a lcharacter generally lacking desired artistic effect, there being a tendency to overharshness. There has also been practiced to quite a great extent, a process involving photographing the wood to be copied, and then making off from the negative a plate for printing onto a desired surface. Detail and contrast are however lost to an extent in this latter method, such as to lack an entirely satisfactory result in some instances. In accordance with the present invention however, it now becomes possible to reproduce natural grain effects as found in wood, marble etc., with accurate precision, and at the same time preserve a particularly natural effect, and such as to be applicable also without undue expense.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

The drawing represents schematically the steps of the process.

In accordance with the invention, a natural grain pattern to be reproduced, as for example a wood grain surface is treated for removal of resins in the pores, if necessary. For this, the board surface may be subjected to heat and preferably in the presence of moisture, as for instance by application of steam to the surface, or in some cases by sponging lightly with hot water. This warms and softens the resins in the pores of the Wood. While still warm, the surface is saturated with a resin solvent, for example a mixture of equal parts of benzol, alcohol and amyl acetate, and the board is brushed with a stiff ne brush, attention being given to the lay of the grain. It is then wiped off thoroughly and dried. Generally, it is desirable then to apply to the surface a coat of shellac. This may involve for instance an alcoholic shellac employing one-half pound of white shellac per gallon of denatured alcohol. After allowing to dry for an hour or more, the surface is blocked-sanded smooth. A second coat of shellac may be applied if desired, and this be allowed to dry, but without further sanding or at least very light sanding if any. In the case of some woods having a very faint pattern initially, it is desirable to accentuate the pattern by applying stain, before shellac-Y coating. Where the natural pattern being re produced is such a surface as marble for instance, treatment for resin-removal or accentuation of the pattern is of course not required.

On the surface to be reproduced, I now lay a transparent dot-screen or screen ground and suitably fasten it in place, as for instance by taping. Register marks are also advisably made on the edge of the master pattern or board and on the screen so as to facilitate later re-locating with accuracy. The transparent screen ground may be any suitable transparent medium having printed thereon a ground screen effect in minute points or dots on the order of a uniform half-tone ground. It is best to use a screen of 133 lines to the inch or more. A nitrocellulose tracing sheet or like water proof film provides a suitable transparent medium for this usage. I now apply with a brush a blocking-out light coating on the transparent screen selectively tracing over the high lights and light areas of the wood. This leaves the dark shaded areas of the wood showing through the transparency. Such tracing and blocking-out of the light areas requires little skill and is accomplished quite rapidly, and a square yard of average mahogany or walnut can be thus covered in a few minutes, and more intricate patterns such as butt walnut in proportionate time. The blockingout material may be any suitable coating which can be selectively applied and held in place for the subsequent operation and then be removed. In some cases adherent powder such as talc powder may be thus selectively applied on the light areas by a brush as described. Generally though I prefer a liquid coating material which may be applied and be readily dried, and also be easily removed by a solvent at the proper time. Thus, I may employ gamboge reduced to the proper consistency with water to allow brushing onto the transparency as indicated, or a gum arabic solution in water, colored with a suitably visible dye, as for instance a water soluble red or other dye, cochineal etc.

The transparency, coated selectively over the light areas of the wood or natural pattern, and dried, is now removed from its master pattern and is placed on a smooth surface, being suit ably secured, as for instance by taping. A printing plate, for instance copper, etched as a uni form screen of small areas or dots, similar tl the ground dot screen on the transparency above employed, and likewise having 133 lines or mon to the inch, is now inked up with a printing inkl and its dot ground is transferred onto the face of the coated transparency which has been prepared. While such dot printing onto the coated transparency may be accomplished in slightly varying manners, I prefer to off-set print by running a smooth roller of gelatin or other suitable pick-up surface over the plate, and then onto the coated transparency. Or, instead of using a metal of copper screen plate, in some cases I may employ a flexible sheet screen, such as of gelatin, and print directly therefrom onto the transparency. This may be accomplished by inking the face of the eXible screen which bears dots in relief, then turning the inked side to face the transparency, and holding it close but avoiding smudging, then pressing and rubbing down with a blunt rounded instrument to leave few minutes, such as three to five minutes, the impression is picked up with a smooth roller having a suitable transfer surface, such as of gelatin or other pick-up surface material, and the impression is transferred onto the transparency, care being taken that this impression registers with the shaded areas. This is accomplished by means of the register marks previously mentioned. Any suitable press arrangement or mechanism may be employed for this operation, or in instances the impression may be transferred by hand operation of a hand roller. If the wood is extra heavy grained, a softer effect may be had by transferring the impression from the wood board by a dot surface roller of conlstruction such as above-mentioned. Generally,

a transfer of the dots on the transparency.` The coated areas are now cleaned off. This is easily accomplished with the water soluble coating material by allowing cold water to run on the transparency. The gamboge or the like, being water soluble, immediately comes off, taking with it those ground dots that were printed on such coated areas. The transparency now has one set of dots where the wood has light areas and a double set of dots over the shaded areas, and the transparency in this respect shows the ground contrast of the master pattern surface.

If the grain pattern is such as to permit, the blocking-out maybe applied directly on the wood instead of on the transparent sheet. That is, the gamboge or like removable coating material is painted directly onto the light areas of the wood or other pattern. Then, the whole wood surface is inked up with a printers inking roller. Then the gamboge or the like is carefully washed off, and the master pattern has a solid inked surface over its dark areas and nothing over its light areas. This pattern is now transferred to a transparent dot-screen or screen ground sheet as that above, the transferring thereto being conveniently accomplished for instance by rolling a dot-surfaced roller over the board and then over the transparent sheet. The dot-surfaced roller may be a roller of gelatin or other suitable transfer material having molded in its face a dot screen corresponding to the neness of the screen which it is desired to use, and such a. roller may be prepared by pouring melted gelatin composition over a copper plate in which has been etched the screen in intaglio, and when the gelatin has cooled and set, it is lifted off and the slab is then cemented to a wood cylinder or the like.

The original wood board surface is now cleaned. This may be accomplished with gasoline or like solvent. After drying the wood surface, it is used as an off-set printing plate to transfer a clear detailed impress of its grain design onto the prepared ground transparency. Where the master pattern being duplicated is such material as marble for instance, there is of course no necessity of removing applied shellac. For the printing operation onto the transparency, a suitable ink is employed which is capable of taking into the pores and being picked up in transfer suitably for the printing. A particularly desirable ink for this comprises printers ink one part, and two parts of a mixture made by grinding two pounds of lamp black and one pound of iron oxide into three quarts of boiled tung oil and then adding one quart of petroleum naphtha. The board being inked up, a scraper or doctor is drawn across the grain, leaving the ink in-the pores. After allowing it to stand for a the transparency now shows a sufcient contrast and is natural. If however, accentuation of contrast is desired, this may be now accomplished by allowing the ink to dry a short time or sufficiently to prevent blurring, and then dry lamp black is traced lightly on any areas to be strengthened, by a dry brush.

The transparency is now a positive, showing the important structure of the wood in natural pattern in whole tones, and between these giving the soft effects of natural wood in tint amounting to approximately a quarter tone, and the shaded areas having a double tint amounting approximately to a. half-tone. This positive is now printed onto a sensitized copper plate and the plate is etched, such printing and etching being carried out by means well known in the engravers art, and not requiring detailed description here. The copper plate so prepared is employed for a printing surface, and the wood grain effect or the like provided thereby is transferred onto any desired surface to be ornamented in such pattern, in known ways, for instance a metal plate surface or the like to be finished in imitation of wood grain being provided with a light ground coat, and the wood pattern being printed thereon, and a protective coat being applied, and the plate being dried or baked, as desired.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent of such, be employed.'

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A process of reproducing natural graining, which comprises moistening and warming a wood grain surface to be reproduced, saturating with equal parts of benzol and alcohol and amyl acetate, brushing with a stiff fine brush, wiping, accentuating a faint pattern by staining, brushing on a coat of shellac, drying, sanding smooth, applying a second coat of shellac, drying, fastenmg on such surface to be reproduced a transparent dot-screen, making register marks on the edges to facilitate re-locating, selectively paintmg a blocking-out light coating on the transparency over the light areas of the natural pattern showing through, removing the transparency to a smooth supporting surface, off-set printing a dot-screen ground on the selectively coated transparency, washing away the coated areas, cleaning the original wood pattern surface, applying a transfer ink comprising printers ink supplemented with lamp black and iron oxide 1n boiled tung oil, scraping off the ink, allowing to stand a few minutes, transferring an impression from the scraped surface to the transparency in register, allowing the ink impression toI dry I agences sufficiently to prevent blurring, applying dry lamp ,black lightly on the desired areas, copying from thetransparency as a positive onto a sensitized copper plate, etching the plate, and employing it fora printing surface.

2. A process of reproducing natural graining, which :comprises moistening and warming a wood grain surface to be reproduced, saturating with equal parts of benzol and alcohol and amyl acetate, brushing with a stiff fine brush, wiping, drying, brushing on a coat of shellac, drying, sanding smooth, applying a second coat of shellac, drying, fastening on such surface to lbe reproduced a transparent dot-screen, making register marks on the edges to facilitate re-locating, selectively painting a blocking-out light coating on the transparency over the light areas of the natural pattern showing through, removing the transparency to a smooth supporting surface, off-set printing a dpt-screen ground on the selectively coated transparency, washing away the coated areas, cleaning the original wood pattern surface, applying a transfer ink comprising printers ink supplemented with lamp black and iron oxide in boiled tung oil, scraping oif the ink, allowing to stand a few minutes, transferring an impression from the scraped surface to the transparency in register, allowing the ink impression to dry sufficiently to prevent blurring, applying dry lamp black lightly on the desired areas, copying from the transparency as a positive onto a sensitized copper plate, etching the plate, and employing it for a printing surface.

3. A process of reproducing natural graining, which comprises moistening and warming a wood grain surface to be reproduced, saturating with equal parts of benzol and alcohol and amyl acetate, brushing with a stiff ne brush, wiping, drying, brushing on a Icoat of shellac, drying, sanding smooth, applying a second coat of shellac, drying, fastening on such surface to be reproduced a transparent dot-screen, making register marks on the edges to facilitate re-locating, selectively painting a blocking-out light coating on the transparency over the light areas of the natural pattern showing through, removing the transparency to a smooth supporting surface, olf-set printing a dot-screen ground on the selectively coated transparency, washing away the coated areas, cleaning the original wood pattern surface, applying a transfer ink comprising printers ink supplemented with lamp black and iron oxide in boiled tung oil, scraping olf the ink, allowing to stand a few minutes, transferring an impression from the scraped surface to the transparency, copying from` the transparency as a positive onto a sensitized copper plate, etching the plate, and employing it for a printing surface.

4. A process of reproducing natural graining, which comprises warming a wood grain surface to be reproduced, applying a resin solvent, drying, brushing on a coat of shellac, drying, sanding smooth, applying a second coat of shellac, drying, fastening on such surface to be reproduced a transparent dot-screen, making register marks on the edges to facilitate re-locating, selectively painting a blocking-out light coating on the transparency over the light areas of the natural pattern showing through, removing the transparency to a smooth` supporting surface, olf-set printing a dot-screen ground on the selectively coated transparency, washing away the coated areas, cleaning the original wood pattern surface, applying a transfer ink comprising printers ink supplemented with lamp bla-ck and iron oxide in boiled tung oil, to stand a few minutes, transferring an impression from the scraped surface to the tiansparency, copying from the transparency as a positive onto a sensitized copper plate, and etching the plate.

5. A process of reproducing natural graining, which comprises removing resin from a wood grain surface to be reproduced, brushing on a coat of shellac, drying, sanding smooth, applying a second coat of shellac, drying, fastening on such surface to be reproduced a transparent dotscreen, making register marks on the edges to facilitate re-locating, selectively painting a blocking-out light coating 0n the transparency over the light areas of the natural pattern showing through, removing the transparency to a smooth supporting surface, off-set printing a dot-screen ground on the selectively coated transparency, washing away the coated areas, cleaning the original wood pattern surface, applying a transfer ink comprising printers ink supplemented with lampl black and iron oxide in boiled tung oil, scraping off the ink, allowing to stand a few minutes, transferring an impression from the scraped surface to the transparency, copying from the transparency as a positive onto a sensitized copper plate, and etching the plate.

6. A process of reproducing natural graining, which comprises fastening on the surface to be reproduced a transparent dot-screen, selectively painting a blocking-out light coating on the transparency over the light areas of the natural pattern showing through, removing the transparency, printing a dot-screen ground onto the selectively coated transparency, removing the coated areas, applying a transfer ink to the' original master pattern surface, scraping off surplus ink, allowing to stand a few minutes, transferring an impression from the scraped surface to the transparency in register, allowing the ink impression to dry sufficiently to lprevent blurring, applying dry lamp black lightly on the desired areas, copying from the transparency as a positive onto a sensitized plate, and etching the plate.

'7. A process of reproducing natural graining, which comprises moistening and warming a wood grain surface to be reproduced, applying a resin solvent, wiping and drying, applying a coat of shellac, drying, holding on the surface to be reproduced a transparent dot-screen, selectively painting a blocking-out light coating on the transparency over the light areas of the natural pattern showing through, removing the transparency, printing a dot-screen ground onto the selectively coated transparency, removing the coated areas, cleaning the original wood pattern piece, inking the same, transferring an impression therefrom to the transparency in register, copying from the transparency as a positive onto a sensitized plate, and etching the plate.

8. A process of reproducing natural graining, which comprises laying onto the surface to be reproduced a transparent dot-screen, selectively coating over the light areas of the natural pattern showing through the transparency, printing on the selectively coated transparency a dotscreen ground, washing away the .coated areas, transferring an ink impression from the natural pattern to the transparency in register, copying fromthe transparency as a positive onto a sensitized metal plate, and etching the plate.

9. A process of reproducing natural graining, which comprises laying onto the surface to be scraping off the` ink,lallowing reproduced a transparent clt-screen, selectively coating the light areas of the natural pattern showing through on the transparency, printing thereover a dot-screen ground, removing the coated areas, transferring an ink impression from the natural pattern to the transparency in register, and employing the transparency as a positive for preparing a printing plate.

'10. In a process of reproducing natural graining, selectively applying coating ,overl light areas of anatur'al master pattern as showing through on a superposed dot-screen transparency, ink- `printing thereover a dot-'screen ground, and rev Umoving the selectively coated areas whereby the dark areas have two sets of screen dots and the light areas one set of screen dots.

CHARLES M. LONG. 

